What Does The Flux Say?
by atomjenkins
Summary: Trapped in Lalna's castle, and infected by the flux/taint, Nano grows increasingly angry at her imprisonment - as well as the scientist responsible for it. But Lalna has problems of his own, as the flux's origins come back to haunt him while he struggles to deal with the fact that the only woman he's ever loved has been...tainted. A request from SilverG64. Lalnasounds. BFTD canon.


**DAY 3**

**NanoSounds **duncan

**NanoSounds **DUNCAN

**NanoSounds **DUUUUNCAAAAN

**LividCoffee **wat

**NanoSounds **talk to me

**LividCoffee **not right now

**LividCoffee **im busy

**NanoSounds **no you're not

**LividCoffee **i am

**NanoSounds **you're such a liar duncan

**NanoSounds **duncan?

**LividCoffee left the game**

**NanoSounds **be like that then

* * *

**DAY 6**

**NanoSounds **hey duncan

**NanoSounds **you gonna speak to me now?

**LividCoffee **nope. still busy

**NanoSounds **busy doing what?

**LividCoffee **important stuff.

**NanoSounds **im intrigued

**LividCoffee **you wouldn't understand

**NanoSounds **don't assume stuff like that

**NanoSounds **dumb flux hasn't fucked up my brain that much yet

**NanoSounds **duncan?

**LividCoffee left the game**

**NanoSounds **bastard.

* * *

**DAY 8**

**LividCoffee **hey kim

**LividCoffee **kim

**LividCoffee **KIM

**LividCoffee **hellooo? kim?

**LividCoffee **oh god.

**LividCoffee **kim?

**LividCoffee **are you ok?

**LividCoffee **please don't be dead

**NanoSounds **like you'd care if i died

**LividCoffee **oh thank fuck for that

**NanoSounds **it's ok duncan. im still here for you to abuse me

**LividCoffee **oh cmon kim. don't be like that

**NanoSounds **like what, duncan?

**LividCoffee **like…this. all moody

**NanoSounds **well forgive me for not being in the best of moods, but some prat recently locked me in a tower and left me to die. kinda dampened my day

**LividCoffee **well soooorry. anyways, you wanted to talk to me earlier!

**NanoSounds **well i sure as hell don't want to talk to you now

**NanoSounds **just leave me alone

**NanoSounds left the game**

* * *

**DAY 10**

**NanoSounds **hey duncan

**LividCoffee **hello kim

**NanoSounds **im really sorry about what i said before

**LividCoffee **that's ok. i forgive you

**NanoSounds **really?

**LividCoffee **seriously don't worry about it. it's just the flux talking

**NanoSounds **i guess…but…you're not mad?

**LividCoffee **only a little. maybe…15% mad

**NanoSounds **that's not too bad i guess

**LividCoffee **honestly it's you who should be mad at me

**NanoSounds **damn right

**LividCoffee **so are you?

**NanoSounds **mad at you? no

**NanoSounds **yes

**NanoSounds **i don't know

**LividCoffee **60%?

**NanoSounds **more like 70

**LividCoffee **oh good lord

**NanoSounds **lol 69

**LividCoffee **lol u mad bro

**NanoSounds **teehee

**NanoSounds **duncan…are you busy right now? or can you stay and talk for a bit?

**NanoSounds **please?

**NanoSounds **pretty please?

**LividCoffee **sure thing. what's happening in your world?

**NanoSounds **im learning origami

**LividCoffee **oooh lovely. you're getting in touch with your asian side

**LividCoffee **uh…was that racist?

**NanoSounds **probably

**LividCoffee **fuck

**NanoSounds **im trying to make dragons but they end up looking shit

**NanoSounds **they have like two heads and five tails

**NanoSounds **oh no…was that racist?

**LividCoffee **im thinking it probably was

**NanoSounds **oh sugar babies

**LividCoffee **ill send some more paper through the sorting system if you want

**NanoSounds **yes please. that'll stop my dragons offending everyone

**LividCoffee **well…this was an interesting talk

**NanoSounds **it sure was

**LividCoffee **im glad we had this discussion kim

**NanoSounds **so am i duncan

**LividCoffee **byeee

**NanoSounds **byeeeeeeee

**LividCoffee left the game**

**NanoSounds left the game**

* * *

**DAY 9**

**LividCoffee joined the game**

**NanoSounds **hey duncan

**NanoSounds **i need to ask you something

**NanoSounds **exactly how long am i going to be stuck in here?

**LividCoffee left the game**

**NanoSounds **well that sure is promising

* * *

**DAY 10**

**NanoSounds **duncan

**NanoSounds **duncan

**NanoSounds **duncan

**NanoSounds **duncan duncan duncan duncan

**NanoSounds **DUNCAN

**NanoSounds **DUNCAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN

**NanoSounds **please stop ignoring me

**NanoSounds **there's freaky purple stuff on my arms

**NanoSounds **its scaring me

**LividCoffee left the game**

**NanoSounds **please don't leave me

* * *

**DAY 12**

**NanoSounds **hey dunc haven't seen you in a while

**LividCoffee **sorry about that

**NanoSounds **whatcha been doing?

**LividCoffee **just some sciencey stuff

**NanoSounds **anything interesting?

**LividCoffee **actually i've been trying to find out more about the flux

**NanoSounds **oh right. why's that?

**LividCoffee **so i can cure you!

**NanoSounds **aawww duncan! i had no idea you cared so much!

**LividCoffee **well, not to mention the obvious scientific benefits the research could bring

**NanoSounds **they're not obvious to me, goggleboy :)

**LividCoffee **well…you know…uh…we could make…tainted…fluxy…weaponry?

**NanoSounds **you are so sweet

**LividCoffee **right…yeah…anyway, i need to ask you some questions about the flux

**NanoSounds **oh

**LividCoffee **problem?

**NanoSounds **i mean…can't we just talk about normal stuff? is the flux the only reason you came here?

**LividCoffee **well 't you want to get better?

**NanoSounds **i guess so.

**LividCoffee **you 'guess so'?!

**NanoSounds **the flux isn't that bad. i don't really get what you were panicking about before

**LividCoffee **it's not bad ATM, kim

**NanoSounds **if you were trying to make a serious point i would suggest not using acronyms

**LividCoffee **what i mean is that no one knows the long term effects of flux. i don't really even understand what it IS. so yeah it isn't bad now but it might get worse

**LividCoffee **im just trying to help

**NanoSounds **okay fine lalna, ask your dumb questions if it makes you feel better

**LividCoffee **you called me lalna

**NanoSounds **your point?

**LividCoffee **you don't call me lalna unless ive done something wrong

**NanoSounds **like being an irritating prat?

**LividCoffee **sorry

**NanoSounds **so you should be! just ask your dumb questions and get lost!

**LividCoffee **no, that's ok kim. ive learnt all i need to for now

**NanoSounds **what?!

**LividCoffee **the flux is inducing a heightened emotional state. we'll talk more later

**LividCoffee left the game**

**NanoSounds **stupid fucking scientist asshole

* * *

**DAY 16**

**LividCoffee joined the game**

**NanoSounds **hey duncan! we haven't spoken in ageeees

**LividCoffee **we spoke to each other 4 days ago kim

**NanoSounds **we did?

**NanoSounds **i don't remember that

**LividCoffee **no. you wouldn't.

**NanoSounds **why not?

**LividCoffee **i think the flux may be affecting your short term memory

**NanoSounds **really? so how come i still remember you?

**LividCoffee **idk. but i wanted to try and find out. four days ago i wanted to ask you about the taint, but you got really angry very quickly, so i thought i'd come back when you were feeling a bit calmer

**NanoSounds **don't call her that

**LividCoffee **huh?

**NanoSounds **don't call her 'taint'. she doesn't like it

**LividCoffee **who doesn't?

**NanoSounds **the flux

**LividCoffee **the flux?

**NanoSounds **yes. the flux, duncan.

**LividCoffee **it's ALIVE?!

**NanoSounds **yup

**LividCoffee **it's a SHE?!

**NanoSounds **somehow i have a feeling that last one surprises you more

**LividCoffee **don't mess about! this is serious

**NanoSounds **i know! she's alive – she must be like a new lifeform or something, right?!

**LividCoffee **that isn't what i meant

**NanoSounds **what do you mean then duncan?

**LividCoffee **this is huge.

**NanoSounds **i know! everyone is going to be so amazed!

**LividCoffee **um…yeah…sure. look kim, just tell me about the taint

**NanoSounds **FLUX

**LividCoffee **ok whatever. FLUX. when did it start talking?!

**NanoSounds **SHE

**LividCoffee **when did SHE start talking?

**NanoSounds **about a week ago i think. i was just kind of minding my own business when i heard her talking. at first i thought it was you or someone playing a prank on me but then i realised the voice was coming from me. like inside my head

**LividCoffee **what did she say?

**NanoSounds **all kinds of stuff. i don't know…

**LividCoffee **kim. what does the flux say?

**NanoSounds **she saw that i was afraid, and alone. she said she'd look after me, keep me company.

**LividCoffee **so when i told you i was trying to get rid of the flux, she got angry and that resulted in your rapid mood swings

**NanoSounds **i guess. i didn't really realise how much control she had over me

**LividCoffee **do you want me to keep trying to get rid of her?

**NanoSounds **i don't know. maybe.

**NanoSounds **do what you think is best

**NanoSounds **i'll support you either way

**LividCoffee **are you alright?

**NanoSounds **i feel stronger, more powerful…but i don't feel happy. i don't feel like myself. my head hurts. there's a lot of chatter up there

**LividCoffee **she's not hurting you is she?

**NanoSounds **oh no, nothing like that. i just have to remember to pay attention to her. i can't really let my thoughts wander or she gets cranky. nothing that bad though

**LividCoffee **hmmm, ok. get some rest. i'll talk to you again later

**NanoSounds **ok

**NanoSounds **duncan?

**LividCoffee **yup?

**NanoSounds **whatever you do, don't put her back in that tank. she just wants to be free.

**LividCoffee **i'll bear that in mind kim. goodnight.

**NanoSounds **goodnight

**LividCoffee left the game**

**NanoSounds **i kinda want to be free too

**NanoSounds left the game**

* * *

**DAY 20**

**NanoSounds **holy hell dunc. it's been AGEEEEES

**LividCoffee **sorry, been busy over at moonquest land

**NanoSounds **hows the rocket going?

**LividCoffee **well we're not on the moon yet

**NanoSounds **one day, though?

**LividCoffee **one day. in the next fifty billion years

**NanoSounds **that bad?

**LividCoffee **that bad.

**NanoSounds ***dwarven voice* hey guys lets go into space it'll be GREAT

**LividCoffee **no it'll be exactly what you think its gonna be – a lot of late nights and hard work

**NanoSounds **lol you gotta laugh

**LividCoffee **yeah otherwise i'll cry

**NanoSounds **well a certain something i sent through the sorting system might cheer you up ;)

**LividCoffee **oh really?

**NanoSounds **diamond chest on the right

**LividCoffee **an origami dragon?

**LividCoffee **it doesn't look as bad as you made it out to be

**NanoSounds **ive been practising

**NanoSounds **you should see my room. the floor is literally a sea of deformed dragons

**LividCoffee **how long did it take?

**NanoSounds **a week of practising, two days to find out your favourite colour

**LividCoffee **bet old fluxy didn't like that

**NanoSounds **being ignored for that long? no she wasn't a fan

**NanoSounds **she's kinda torn between loving and hating you right now

**LividCoffee **well i appreciate the gesture a great deal more than she probably does

**LividCoffee **what brought this on?

**NanoSounds **well…its valentines day today!

**LividCoffee **oh shit

**NanoSounds **how very jovial

**LividCoffee **that's today?

**NanoSounds **feb 14th. same day as every year.

**LividCoffee **oh kim

**LividCoffee **i feel really bad

**NanoSounds **why?

**LividCoffee **well if i'd known i would have got you something!

**NanoSounds **oh that's ok dunc. you don't have to get me anything!

**LividCoffee **you got me something though!

**NanoSounds **yeah well…that's nothing serious. just a silly little something i made while i was bored. it doesn't mean anything.

**NanoSounds **uh…no offence

**LividCoffee **none taken. it's a relief actually, because…oh, well, nvm

**NanoSounds **no, what is it?

**LividCoffee **it's nothing. honestly. see ya later.

**NanoSounds **duncan wait!

**LividCoffee left the game**

**NanoSounds **what were you going to say?

**NanoSounds **i know you meant what you said when you said it was a relief – why?

**NanoSounds **what are you keeping from me?

**NanoSounds **that gift actually meant something to me as well

**NanoSounds **but i have a feeling it meant something different to each of us

**NanoSounds **am i talking to myself?

**NanoSounds **oh wait. i'm never alone, thanks to you, fluxy.

**NanoSounds **you don't ever abandon me

**NanoSounds **unlike some people

* * *

**DAY 29**

**LividCoffee **kim?

**LividCoffee **kim? are you online right now?

**LividCoffee **you're not. ok good. have to be quick though

**LividCoffee **/record message user lividcoffee

**CPU01 **_Recording…_

**LividCoffee **Okay Kim, I know you might struggle to read through this wall of text in either your tainted or non-tainted state, but you have to, okay? Just struggle on through it. It's worth it, I promise.

I'm recording this message because I want you to find out the truth some day. I have a feeling that if you ever find this message of your own accord, it'll most likely make you feel really bad, because by then you'll likely have done something that you'll regret, and you won't be able to change – but I'll feel better once I've said it all anyway. It's better to at least have a record of it somewhere a little more permanent than inside my head or yours.

There's no easy way to say (or write…or read, I imagine) all the things I'm about to, so I'll just come out with the straight facts. Straight fact number one (this is probably homophobic in some way but there are more important things to worry about right now): _I_ created the flux/taint. I know and have known for many regretful years that its creation was a grave mistake and it's going to haunt me for the rest of my life, and probably after that if you believe in that stuff. I won't pretend that I was trying to make something helpful to humans, and you certainly won't see me defending myself, but just understand that I never meant any of this to happen. No one ever does, but famous last words I guess. The flux/taint was originally just supposed to be an experiment in artificial life, as well as an example of auto-evolution. Now maybe I'm just chucking scientific words that you don't understand at your face, but keep reading. The creature was largely successful, although it was parasitic in nature – it was dependent on a host's life essence, otherwise it failed to provide for itself. For a time it fed off of my life essence, but as it grew stronger, I grew weaker, and I eventually realised that it would finish me off and move on to someone else. It was easy enough to remove, but it managed to latch itself onto one of our friends. One of our very close friends. I won't tell you who, because they'd never forgive me, but let's just say that their DNA was like a banquet for the flux/taint. It mutated and grew even stronger than before. At that point I knew that it would just keep trying to go bigger and better with each life essence it fed on. Eventually, unrestrained, it would devour the whole of Minecraftia. After removing the flux/taint from its second host, several smaller strains were able to escape and taint the ground, but they could easily be repelled through the use of Twilight Forestry magic stuff (ask Rythian for the technicals on that 'stuff') while the main body I decided was too dangerous and so I put it in containment in my glass sphere. In there, it was unable to latch onto a sustainable host, and so it would eventually die. Perhaps the problems it had caused could never be reversed, but at least it couldn't create any more trouble for people.

Cue you.

When you fell into that sphere, I thought you'd be fine, at first. I thought that after feeding on its second host it would not have an appetite for human life essence. But I guess it was weakened and desperate enough to attach itself to the first thing it could get its fluxy hands on (so to speak). So I had to lock you away. If that creature broke free – well, I already gave you the apocalypse spiel. It could – no, _would_ be – disastrous. Even if I…was…fond of you…I couldn't allow my personal feelings to get in the way of a hard decision. One person is never worth an entire species.

But I decided – rather foolishly – to try to either work with or around it this time. Perhaps the reason the J.A.F.F.A. project isn't going so well is because I'm so focused on this. On you. I've been spending so much time trying to come up with a cure, comparing symptoms – I even talked to the flux/taint's second host about it; boy, they weren't happy about me bringing that up – all for you, Kim. But you couldn't know any of this. And you still can't. Not yet. Because of straight fact number two: there is no cure.

I said before that we managed to remove it from its two previous hosts, but it existed to feed off of our life essence only. At first it did the same for you, I think, but then when you told me that it had a voice, a personality – I knew it was too late. It had evolved and mutated yet again. It had infiltrated your neural network – interwoven itself with your central nervous system. Removing it would kill you. You and the flux were one in the same, and now you always will be.

I still kept trying to find a cure, any glimmer of hope, and in some ways I still will. But I don't know what I can do, what anyone can do. The control it has over you is astounding – it influences your mood, your thoughts, even your actions to an extent. I've no idea of the limits of its control. But that only makes me all the more worried. Because, straight fact number three, perhaps the most important: the flux/taint is evil.

It cares nothing for anyone or anything except itself. It is a creature purely focused on killing others to ensure its survival. It may talk to you like a friend, but it means nothing. It's all a lie. Even if you think it chose you because it's friendly and it thinks you're special or something – it doesn't. It chose you because you were in the right place at the right time. It chose you because I thrust you into a hopeless situation it had been in before and it won you over, trying to kid you that it understood what you were going through. But it doesn't understand anything above how you are a tool to its survival. And once it's done with you – it cares so little it won't even let you die. It'll cling on to the very last second and it'll destroy you from the inside out. It'll drive you insane as it rips apart your neurons and your DNA to break free from your drained husk before it moves onto the next person. Oh sure, it might drag it out, walk around in your body for as long as it pleases, now that you've let it, but it'll happen. It'll be done with you one day. It'll get bored of all the torture – making you forget everything good in your life and leaving you empty and cold, soulless. You might think _that_ sounds awful – but one anonymous person and I will assure you this until we're blue in the face – that gruesome death is a lot better than being alive with _it _clinging onto you.

Final thoughts, then. It occurs to me that no matter how many 'very's I stick in front of the word 'sorry', it'll never be enough to express my sincerest apologies at what I've caused. Because, make no mistake; this is my fault. Yes, I've learnt so much – _about_ so much – from making these mistakes, but that still makes me wish with all my heart that I'd never made them. And so I have decided my punishment.

My punishment is whatever you want it to be.

Kim…oh, Kim…I really don't understand love, or at least I thought I didn't, thought I never would either – but you are the first person I've ever met that I feel truly happy with. Just that weightless feeling of pure bliss that only the dearest and irritatingly chirpiest person can bring you. Maybe you feel the same way about me, maybe you don't. But I know that this punishment is fitting. Rythian would probably call it 'poetic justice'. But here it is: you do to me whatever the flux tells you to do. But direct all its anger at me. All the hate, all the bitterness, all the vitriol – aim it all at me. That's all I want you to do, and let the flux take it from there. I know the flux is angry at the world, at everything – that's why it didn't want to go back in the tank, because in there it was on the very edge of death, starved of power – but direct all of that at me, so no one has to suffer. Maybe if the real you is watching, it'll be hard. Torturous, even. But for the sake of Minecraftia – and me – do it. I'll even help you out when you log on. I'll help you despise me to my core.

Straight fact number four: I love you. And I'm going to miss you.

Actually, I changed my mind. That last one was the most important.

**LividCoffee **/end message user lividcoffee

**CPU01 **_Ending…_

**LividCoffee **/save message as 'what does the flux say?'

**CPU01 **_Saving…_

**NanoSounds joined the game**

**LividCoffee **ah just in time

**NanoSounds **for what?

**LividCoffee **for me to say goodbye

**NanoSounds **what?

**LividCoffee **there's no cure for taint, kim

**NanoSounds **don't call her that! she doesn't like it!

**LividCoffee **i don't care what it doesn't like. it's TAINT. you're TAINTED. who cares what you think?

**NanoSounds **duncan, stop! why are you saying all this?

**LividCoffee **because you're a fucking freak, kim. the taint is controlling you and you're too stupid to realise.

**NanoSounds **it's not!

**LividCoffee **of course it is. you're its pawn. it's not your friend. it's pure evil.

**NanoSounds **stop it! it's not evil! and i'm not evil either, duncan! listen to me! i…i…

**LividCoffee **you what?

**NanoSounds **i love you!

**NanoSounds **i'm serious, dunc! don't you believe me?

**NanoSounds **duncan?

**LividCoffee **no.

**NanoSounds **no? no what?

**LividCoffee **no. i don't believe you. pure evil is not capable of love.

**NanoSounds **duncan, please! i'm not tainted! i'm kim! i'm kim! and i love you! please!

**LividCoffee **goodbye. see you one day…

**LividCoffee **…in fifty billion years

**LividCoffee left the game**

**NanoSounds **duncan!

**NanoSounds **actually, you know what? fuck you, duncan. treating me like some kind of freak. fuck you.

**NanoSounds **fuck you again.

**NanoSounds **fuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyoufuckyou

**NanoSounds **wow, that felt good

* * *

**DAY 100**

**NanoSounds **now...let's go find duncan.

* * *

_A/N: Good LORD this took a long time. I hope it is somewhat satisfactory._

_Thought I'd try something different with the whole 'Minecraft chat' thing. I have no idea if it worked :/_

_A request from the super snazzy **SilverG64** (one of three...hopefully they won't all take this long...phew...)_

_AJ_

_PS: This uses Born From The Dark canon...just to let you know...hmmm...I wonder who else was possessed by the flux...?_


End file.
